


Home for the Holly Days

by LadyLondonderry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, M/M, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 00:10:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13135080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLondonderry/pseuds/LadyLondonderry
Summary: There he is, bowl of batter in one arm and whisk in the other. The wireless is blaring something that distinctly sounds likeFairytale of New York,which would make sense with how much Harry loves muggle music.But. The thing is, is he's doing some terribly odd moves, swaying his hips slightly out of pace with the music but with so much more passion than Louis thinks he's ever seen anybody display about this song. His apron, down to his knees, is swishing back and forth as he moves and - dear lord - his shorts don't even reach as low as the hem of his apron.Louis has to get out of here.Or, Louis’s participating in the Secret Santa exchange between all the Hogwarts professors stuck at school over the winter holidays, and the Sorting Hat may fancy itself a bit of a matchmaker.





	Home for the Holly Days

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FallingLikeThis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallingLikeThis/gifts).



When the holidays come around at Hogwarts, the teachers always draw straws, so to speak, to figure out who will stay behind with the students. 

Louis’s managed to get the holidays off the last couple years, but he knew he couldn’t be lucky forever. 

There’s only a handful of students in each house that are staying behind for the holidays, and besides at mealtimes, Louis figures most of them wouldn’t actually desire too much quality time with their teachers. While he’s more than willing to offer a bit of Christmas cheer whenever the opportunity presents itself, he’s feeling pretty confident that he’ll be spending the next two weeks cooped up in his classroom grading parchments that he’s gotten behind on and enjoying a Guinness or three with the other members of staff stuck behind.

This year, all things considered, does seem like a pretty good crew. There’s Niall, head of Ravenclaw House and Care of Magical Creatures professor; Liam, head of Gryffindor and Runes professor; Zayn, Potions professor and altogether sort of standoffish guy… 

And Harry - head of Slytherin house and ironically Muggle Studies professor. Likely one of the biggest nerds to ever set foot inside of Hogwarts grounds.

Back when they were students at Hogwarts, Harry had been two years below Louis. Even so, the whispers of the weird, muggle-obsessed Slytherin had been so widespread and the poor kid had been so awkward, that one day when they had coincidentally ended up in the loo together between classes and Harry had more or less managed to trip over Louis at the urinals, Louis had proposed friendship. Louis had offered to explain to him what a Nintendo system was (not that they worked too well inside Hogwarts grounds) and Harry’s face had lit up bright as the sun, his eyes wide and green and his front teeth a little too big for his mouth but in a way that was… charming, cute even.

It seems now, looking back, like it was just a natural progression when they both gained teaching positions to rent a flat together. Neither of them had ever really figured out what they wanted to do out in “the real world,” and Hogwarts just called to them in a way nowhere outside of the castle grounds ever did. 

The day Louis got an owl with a letter that just read “I’ve been hired, please teach me how to use an electric toothbrush” was just a week before they started their first year as professors together at Hogwarts. 

Now, Harry’s third year of teaching and Louis’s fourth, is the first time they’ve ended up both stuck in the castle for break. 

“Meeting in the great hall!” Niall yells at him in passing. “Staff meeting in the great hall once all the students are in bed!”

“Why are you yelling?” Louis complains. “We’re right next to each other.”

“Because it’s exciting, you niffler,” Niall says. “It’s secret santa time!”

Louis’s heard about the staff secret santa. It happens every year between whoever’s still at Hogwarts over the holidays. Two years ago it apparently ended with Niall and Zayn making out in a closet (not that they’ll ever admit it) and there have been numerous love declarations at it through the years. Louis thinks about the selection of professors here this year and… nah, that won’t be him.

Secret santa after the students are in bed. Well it should liven things up a bit at least.

— 

The secret santa is, apparently, headed up by the sorting hat.

“This school continues to amaze me,” Louis whispers to Harry, who giggles.

“Alright you losers,” Niall says. “Since I’ve spent every Christmas here for the last five years, I’m in charge of this shindig.”

“I don’t like your use of the word shindig,” Harry says, raising his hand.

“I don’t like the twelve tins of sardines I got for secret santa last year either, but here we are,” Niall says. “Here’s how it goes. We pass the hat, we hear the names, and then we get pissed on firewhisky.” 

“Is that part of the tradition?” Liam asks, looking concerned.

“No,” says Niall. “But I confiscated three bottles from some Hufflepuffs last week and it is in my professional opinion that we should put them to good use.”

— 

When the sorting hat goes on his head, Louis feels somewhat like that tiny eleven year old again.

“Hmm,” says the hat. “Very interesting…”

“I don’t think you need to read my mind to assign me a secret santa,”  Louis whispers.

“Nonsense,” says the hat. “Let me have some fun in my ridiculously long life. Now, let’s see here. I believe you should have… Professor Styles.”

_ Harry? _ thinks Louis.  _ I know Harry inside and out. This’ll be a piece of cake. _

— 

It was not a piece of cake.

“Nothing seems right, Liam!” Louis wails. “Nothing! Absolutely nothing!”

“You know you’re  _ really _ not supposed to tell me who your secret santa is,” Liam says.

“Yes but you’re my best friend, Liam, and I need your help.”

“No,  _ Harry’s _ your best friend.”

“Yes but I can’t very well talk to him about this, Liam. Keep up.”

Liam sighs. “I just want people to stop telling me who their secret santa is,” he moans. “Why does everyone come to  _ me _ for this?”

“I was thinking a necklace,” says Louis. “Or a belt? Do wizards use belts? My mum’s a human raising seven magical kids, I have no idea what’s normal for wizards.”

“Yes, wizards wear belts,” Liam says. “Go- like. Sleep on it or something. Stop bothering me.”

“All you’re doing is grading quizzes,” Louis mutters, standing up. “Just give them all passing grades at random, that’s what I do.”

— 

Three days. Louis spends three days thinking.

A working model of the London Underground?

A book series of muggle inventions through history?

A tamagotchi?

Nothing seems right.

— 

The kitchens call to Louis.

It’s nearly 1 a.m. and Louis is craving something sweet. He’s in the middle of writing lesson plans for January because he can’t sleep and he figures he might as well get a head start, but all he can think about are those little fruit tarts from yesterday. Maybe if he asks nicely the house elves would be willing to whip him up some. 

He dons his fuzzy slippers, because the castle floors are  _ cold, _ and even as a professor he’s been lectured about going barefoot before. 

Down a hallway, another, another, and a flight of stairs that acts for a moment like it wants to change direction, and Louis’s at the doorway to the kitchens. He knocks - to be polite - and slips inside.

There are a good dozen house elves up and working on various tasks. While classes are in session, Louis is used to finding close to four or five dozen, but he supposes that with how few people are staying in the castle at the moment, it makes sense to let most of the elves have a break.

“Hello,” he greets them, to a squeaky chorus of hello’s in return. “I was just wondering if you might have an extra tart or two laying around?” Louis asks sheepishly. “They were just so good, you know…”

“Oh right this way right this way,” one of the elves (Sheila, Louis thinks her name is) motions him over. “Quite a few left, right through that door. Be careful not to scare Professor Styles, though, he’s hard at work and has asked that we please leave him to it.”

“Even promised he’d clean up after himself,” another elf giggles.

Louis laughs along with them. It is just like Harry to want to try some late night baking. 

He figures he’ll slip in, wander right past Harry and grab himself a tart or five and be on his way. However, rounding the corner where Sheila had pointed, he’s confronted with a sight he is not in any way prepared for.

There he is, bowl of batter in one arm and whisk in the other. The wireless is blaring something that distinctly sounds like  _ Santa Baby,  _ which would make sense with how much Harry loves his muggle music.

But. The thing is, is he's doing some terribly odd moves, swaying his hips slightly out of pace with the music but with so much more passion than Louis thinks he's ever seen anybody display about this song. His apron, down to his knees, is swishing back and forth as he moves and - dear lord - his shorts don't even reach as low as the hem of his apron. He looks so awkward, but at the same time so into it and happy and, well, he’s usually wearing robes to his ankles that hide his figure.

Louis has got to get out of here.

— 

He lays awake, nearly three hours later. He still doesn’t know what to get for Harry and it’s only two more days until secret santa gifting. 

But that’s not even what he’s thinking about at this point. No, instead he’s lying in bed trying to figure out why he just…  _ ran _ from Harry like that. As far as he knows Harry didn’t see him, thank goodness, but why was that his response? He and Harry have practically grown up together, what was so weird about seeing him in casual clothing like that? Sure, it was a bit… revealing, but when Louis was in third year they went skinny dipping on a dare in the giant squid lake. Louis has  _ literally  _ seen everything Harry has to offer.

(Or, what second year Harry had to offer at least).

God, though… That image of Harry, shaking his hips to that ridiculous Christmas song… 

— 

“What does it  _ mean, _ Liam?”

“It means Harry likes to bake in his pants,” Liam says with a sigh, not looking up from his book.

“Come on, Liam. This is serious! Why did I feel so embarrassed? Why do I feel so  _ weird?” _

“Louis,” says Liam, finally leveling him with a look. “Come on. Just  _ think _ about it.  _ Really _ think about it.”

“I’m thinking,” says Louis. “And all I can think about is that ridiculous outfit he was wearing.”

“You’re hopeless,” says Liam.

— 

It finally hits him, like most revelations do, while he’s out in the greenhouse with his fuzzy earmuffs watering the mandrakes and watching two of them trying to cohabitat in a pot much too small.

Oh.

Fuck.

Louis had run away because he  _ likes _ Harry.

Now, examining this new thought, he thinks about his friendship with Harry over the last decade and a half. Oh man. Oh no. He might have liked Harry for a long time. A  _ very _ long time.

But what does he do now?

— 

This was a horrible idea. Why did Louis think this was a good idea?

Harry is already holding Louis’s present. It’s too late to take it back. What if he doesn’t get it? What if he  _ rejects  _ Louis? In front of everyone? Oh god. This was a horrible choice. He should have just gotten Harry an electric toothbrush like he had originally planned.

“What a coincidence,” says Harry, a broad smile on his face. “My present is for you!”

Zayn rolls his eyes. They’re sitting around one of the tables in the great hall, Liam and Zayn at one end, Harry and Liam at the other, and niall at a lone middle spot. “The sorting hat does this every year,” he mutters.

“Does what?” asks Louis distractedly.

“Nothing,” says Liam, before giving Zayn a look that Louis doesn’t have the time nor ability to interpret.

“Open them!” Niall says, holding a large package of his own. “On the count of three, because I’m not patient enough to have to watch us do this one at a time. One… two… Three!”

Louis takes the top off of the box that Harry’s handed to him. He’s apparently wrapped the lid and the base of the box separately, for easy removal. Of course he did, he’s fancy like that.

Inside the box sits a plate of cookies. They look homemade, and smell delicious. Louis has sudden flashbacks to Harry in that kitchen, shaking his hips and singing along to the song.

“They smell delicious,” he says truthfully, looking up at Harry who’s just tearing open his own box. 

Louis gulps.

“Ooh,” says Harry. “It’s green and leafy!” 

Louis is glad Harry appreciates the simple things in life.

Harry pulls out the branch of holly that Louis had carefully wrapped in gold paper that may or may not match Harry’s favorite boots. He watches Harry’s face carefully, fearfully.

“Is this…” Harry looks to Louis in confusion. 

“It’s… holly?” Louis feels like his throat is about to close up. Why did he decide to give this to Harry in front of other people? This is insane! “I don’t know if it’s a, um, wizard tradition. But at Christmas it’s traditional that when muggles end up under mistletoe, they’re supposed to…  kiss…” 

Louis’s ears are so hot at this point he could light his wand from them.

Harry holds the branch of holly in both of his hands, as if he’s cradling it. “I have, um, heard of this tradition,” he says. “Is it just- I mean. Did you give it to me just so I could learn a new muggle tradition? Because you do know how much I love those. I just mean, I was wondering if…”

“Oh Merlin’s saggy balls, Harry!” Niall bursts out. “He gave you the holly because he wants to kiss you!”

“Really?” asks Harry, looking at Louis with those wide, deer-in-the-headlights eyes of his. “Because- if that’s what you want. I’d really like that too?”

“Oh thank Christ,” says Louis, surging forward and knocking noses and teeth with Harry in what must be the most juvenile kiss two mid-twenties men have ever shared. Harry chases him when he pulls his lips away though. 

“Every fucking year,” Zayn mumbles, opening his own present.

“Can we go eat these cookies in the astronomy tower?” Louis asks, ignoring the other three people in the room.

“Please,” says Harry. “I made them for you myself, you know.”

“Oh,” says Louis. “I know very well.”

— 

They do eat cookies in the astronomy tower. Then they kiss some more, this time with less teeth and more tongue and a nice spell that Harry casts that lights up the whole room in fairy lights.

Louis might not get to go home for the holidays this year, but he’s pretty sure home is right here with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! If you enjoyed that, I am [Londonfoginacup](http://londonfoginacup.tumblr.com) on tumblr, and the weird dumb post I made for this fic is [here](http://londonfoginacup.tumblr.com/post/177811610594/home-for-the-holly-days-londonfoginacup)!


End file.
